Forsaken
by sinisterside
Summary: It wasn't supposed to be like this. The vaccine was meant to save the world not destroy it. Earth's inhabitants fought a months long battle against a disease that ravaged their lives, their only hope was a vaccine meant to cure... It didn't. What it left were unholy, mutated beings with one desire to destroy. What is left are small pockets of humanity, muggle and wizard, no differe


Her eyes flitted around, adjusting to the darkness in the building. Its rafters hung low, broken by time and neglect. The slightest rustle, caused her heart to beat faster, her breath to catch deep in her throat. They were getting smarter, she could tell. They were just dumb mindless beasts now, but she was positive they were starting to evolve, maybe even work together. Her hand tightened on the door, as the first one slinked its way across the pavement outside. A small rat scurried quickly across the road, attempting to reach the safety of her building ahead. Lily held her breath, silently cursing herself for being caught at ground level at dark. The rat's pink tail was visible in the night, as it picked up speed, it's front legs hit the steps of the old place. A squeal, a whimper then nothing but the crunching and tearing of the creature ahead, eating its prey.

Lily stood stone still, her breathing coming in little puffs. They were merely separated by a thin wooden door. A door riddled with old holes and cracks. Wind, it was her enemy now. If it should blow the wrong way, the beast in front of her may very well pick up her scent. She pulled her bag in closer, clutching the goods she had scavenged for the camp earlier. It was a mistake, a lone tin can of peas rolled out, crashing like a bomb against the old wooden floors. Lily froze, she glanced up from the can, and squinted her eyes through the hole in the door. The creature dropped the remains of the rat, it's mouth and hands covered in blood. It looked toward the building, throwing its head back and sniffing deeply of the night air. The scream of death and pain rose from its throat, much like a pig to slaughter. It rammed itself against the door.

Lily took off running, her feet pounding heavily against the floor. She was weighed down by the weight of the ag, but she refused to let it go. They desperately needed these supplies. She was almost out the back door when the grip came on her shoulder, she fell down hard. Instinct kicked in and she rolled to her left desperately wiggling. She could feel it's breath on her, the stench of death hovering inches from her face. She pushed as hard as she could, but she couldn't hold it back much longer. Lily closed her eyes, invoking the memory of a time not so far back, she wanted desperately to go there. As her arms started to give, she heard a crack, muted voices rose around her, as everything else swirled away.

 **Three months earlier**

Lily bounded down the steps, ignoring her brother James arguing with their mother about quidditch games. She grabbed herself a glass of juice and picked up the paper, sifting through the various headlines. Her eyes caught the article at the top, Vaccine for deadly Monroe Virus, Rumors of complications?

She skimmed the first few sentences, where the reporter talked about how several thousand cases of those taking the Monroe vaccine, were showing signs of instability, heightened mood swing and aggression in some cases. Lily sighed, the Monroe disease was terrible, named after it's discoverer, it attacked the immune system, turning the body on itself. So far the kill ratio was 95%. That was huge, 95% of those infected, died. They weren't sure where it came from, or even completely how it was spread. They knew it was person to person, but not yet airborne.

The symptoms were horrible, it started as a basic cold but swiftly turned into high fevers, oozing rashes and sores, and coughing blood up. There wasn't an antibiotic that worked, no treatment stopped it, you either survived it or you didn't. 95 out of 100 didn't. So far every nation has an outbreak, first world countries were small in scale, while third world nations battled to keep there's contained. Dr. Jacque Monroe of France, the discoverer also formulated a vaccine. It was a live strain of the standard flu that had been mutated, injected into patients it was meant to battle and counteract the Monroe virus. It was said that it would force the immune system to attack the flu rather than the body. It worked for a while, but then the test cases started showings signs of aggressive behaviors, deep and lingering mood swings. Unfortunately, by the time this was known to the science and health communities, the vaccine had been dispersed globally. Literally everything from syringes and bottles dropped, to water planes being used to spray towns and villages. It could be taken directly through the vein or indirectly by inhalation. Millions lined up around the world, from the cities to rural farming communities. Even those not infected were encouraged to take the vaccine.

Then came the news reports, outburst of sporadic violence, even in seemingly peaceful little towns. At first they thought they could treat these symptoms of the vaccine as well, but it became painfully clear that there was no treatment. The vaccine mingled with the Monroe virus, evolving itself into a vicious entity, taking over the host and leaving but a shell of the person behind. Their minds altered, people began viciously attacking others, even family members. When word spread that the mutated people, were feeding on human flesh the panic began. Billions of dollars were poured out of accounts worldwide, even in the wizarding world people drained their finances desperate for to find a refuge.

If it could be sold, it was including, themselves. Governments tried to prevent the collapse, but people were desperate. Desperate to get out of the large cities, they fell onto the small towns, the farms and the rural fold who lived there. They were met with fierce resistance, and many rural areas pushed back, using weapons at their disposal to keep those heavily infected and non-infected back toward the cities and suburbs. Thousands on thousands flooded the airports and shipyards, hoping against all to catch a flight or boat out.

The day came though when the mutated started to swell their numbers and became a global threat. Lily remembered clearly the day it came to the Potters and many other wizarding families. Her father burst through the door, screaming at everyone as he went. ''Get your bags, pack just the necessities we live in less than ten minutes.'' Lily jumped up, her eyes jumping between her mother and father. Ginny clenched her hands, ''Harry what the hell is going on?''

''It's happened Ginny, its finally happened, we have to go.''

Everyone stood still, staring at their father. His hair was disheveled, sweat dripping from his face, his eyes red and lips trembling. He looked incredulously at his children, who weren't children anymore. Lily the youngest at 18, was staring back at him and Harry snapped. ''I said go! Stop fucking staring at me and go!'' His chest heaved as he watched them scatter about the house.

''Harry!''

''Ginny, this isn't the time. It's gone, the Ministry is gone, the British government gone. I heard on the muggle radio that Spain, France and Portugal have collapsed.'' He spoke without breathing; the little air he had coming out in wheezes.

''Germany is still up, so is the United States, Canada, Poland and Ukraine. There hasn't been word from Russia in over a week since they self-imposed a quarantine. China is overrun and the last I heard the smaller countries everywhere were gone. We're trying to get word out but people are just leaving, they want to go home Ginny.''

Ginny swallowed her mind racing. ''Gone?''

''Yes Ginny! Fucking. Gone. As in their governments are non-effective, there is no governments just chaos and anarchy. The few countries holding on will no doubt go down within the next few days. This… this virus its overwhelmed them. It's all lost, all of it.'' He ran his hands through his hair, his eyes unable to focus.

''We have to go, we got to get out of here while we can. We're meeting Ron and Hermione in Diagon Alley at 3:30. We're pulling what's left out of Gringotts and getting the hell away from people Ginny.''

Ginny nodded, quickly moving toward their living room, grabbing pictures of the family and anything she thought was sentimental. Their family all assembled back downstairs, harry motioned for them to follow him. They stepped outside, and the cold peaceful air belied the turmoil within. Lily glanced back at their home, memorizing its every detail. The little rose bushes, the green shutters, she knew deep down it would be the last time its welcoming scene would ever pass through her gaze. As they disapparated with a crack, Lily felt a pull in her soul that took her from her innocence and thrust her into a world without sympathy.


End file.
